Neutron Star Collision
by Exo-Politics522
Summary: Dimitri is the prince of vampires. When his family is attacked, his parents die. To take their place he has to go to Michigan to finish his years in college. He rents a room with a family with a young daughter. She is his soul mate. Sorry for bad summary.
1. Chapter 1

"Dimka! Get out!" mother screamed. "Now! It's too dangerous here!"

"Mom," I whispered in my native langauge, which was Russian. Tears were falling from my eyes. I was a mess. "Mama, what's going to happen to you and papa?"

They would die. I already knew that. I felt horrible. The king and queen of the vampire world- they couldn't even be saved by their nineteen-year-old son. Our home was under attack, and I would die as well if I did not leave immediately.

"You know," she said softly. "You know what will happen. Your father and I will be killed. We want you to get an education, Dimka. Go to college. You and Yuri will inherit the family fortune. You know that Yuri does not want the position of the king of our world, but he will be it temporarily until you are out of college. First, find a decent job, though, and keep it. Find your mate. She is waiting for you somewhere out there. Now run."

"I love you, mama," I whispered. I kissed her forehead. "Take care. Someday, I hope I'll see you again in the afterlife. Tell papa I said good-bye."

"I love you too, my son…"

I felt the warm sensation take over my body as I transformed into a gray wolf. I ran out of the castle as fast as I could. Each one of us vampires was born with a gift from our parents that enables us to transform into _one _animal. My parents chose the gray wolf for me, and they chose an eagle for my brother, Yuri.

I found my car, a black honda civic, and transformed back into my true form. I escaped to the town of Casnovia in Michigan. I had a pack of wolves there. The castle was in the country part of Ohio, but I was able to get to Michigan in about three hours at the speed I was driving. Vampires were able to run a lot faster than humans, so I would have no trouble running, either. I was had a suitcase with me, which held five pairs of clothing and a pair of converse sneakers. I had running sneakers, too. I also had some money, which I did need, and a credit card. I could withdraw some money from the bank if I needed to as well.

When I got to Casnovia, I looked for a house that would have a "for rent" sign on its front lawn. I eventually found one, and the house was not small, but it was not large either. I parked in front of the house.

I had just turned nineteen three days ago, so I would go to the same college I started at in Michigan for the next three years. It was about half an hour away from Casnovia if I ran at full speed to the college, but I had a car too. If I didn't get caught by the police speeding, then I would be able to get there in the same time. I was double majoring in music and English literature.

I knocked on the door and a man who appeared to be middle-aged answered. He looked tired.

"Can I help you?" he asked, obviously holding back a yawn.

"Um, I'm here to ask about the room available for rent. Is it still available? I'm interested in renting it."

"Ah, yes. Please come in and talk to my wife about it."

I followed the man inside his home. His wife sat at the kitchen table. I sat on a chair on the opposite side of her.

"Michelle, he's interested in renting the room," the man said quietly.

"Ah. How long do you plan on staying and what is your name?"

"My name is Dimitri Abramovitch. I don't know- maybe two years at the most. Just until I'm able to afford my own house. I am going into my second year at college. The college is half an hour away from here."

"It'll cost one hundred dollars a month," Michelle told me. "I'm Michelle Frost, and this is my husband, Mark."

Then a little girl walked into the room. She was wearing a blue sundress. She looked to be no older than eight years old. Her eyes were the biggest eyes I had ever seen. They were such a beautiful blue that I had never seen before in my life. She had long light brown hair. She was so tiny and looked so fragile.

I groaned internally. My mate was an eight-year-old girl.


	2. Chapter 2

My mate was an eight-year-old girl. I would have to wait so many years- _ten years_. I guess I wouldn't look like a pervert when she was eighteen, though. Male vampires stop aging between ages twenty-five and thirty. I would likely stop aging at twenty-six because my father did. Females stop aging between twenty-one and twenty-six years.

"Momma, when are you going to make lunch?" she asked softly. Then she looked at me, her eyes wide and filled with curiousity. "Momma, who's this?"

"Alice, this is Dimitri. He'll be staying with us for a while, sweetie," Mrs. Frost answered. "Lunch will be ready in ten minutes."

_Alice_ _Frost_. She looked like a fairy princess in her blue dress. I wonder what her middle name is? Alice blushed and shyly walked out of the kitchen.

I smiled. "She's adorable," I told them quietly. I didn't want her walking away. I didn't want her to be afraid of me. "Did I do something wrong? Did I scare her or something?" "No, dear," Mrs. Frost laughed softly. "She just doesn't do well with strangers. She's really shy. Mark and I can't ever imagine why. She's never had something bad happen to her before so I'm really not too sure."

"Be careful," I joked. "With those eyes of hers, you're going to have a lot of pimpled teenaged boys coming at your door."

"I'm not looking forward to it," Mr. Frost groaned quietly. "Her brother is in the military, so unfortunately he won't be here to protect her. And we'll be at work… I'm sorry to ask this of you, but we're going away for this weekend because I need to go on a business trip. We need a sitter. Are you up for it?"

"Sure. I'm living with you, and I don't want to mooch off of you at all, Mr. Frost."

"Oh, just call us Mark and Michelle."

"All right."

"Michelle, why did we have kids who are eleven years apart?" Mark muttered darkly.

"How old is your son?" I asked.

Michelle smiled wistfully. "He's twenty-one. His name is Gerard. Alice is eight."

"Ah."

The weekend was coming up soon. Today was Wednesday. I had dinner with the Frosts and then went to bed. I was exhausted. Vampires don't exhaust easily, but I got hurt today during the attack. The Frosts gave me a nice room. It had a good view of the woods, and my wolf pack was around here in these woods. I would find them tomorrow.  
Around midnight, I was woken up by a loud, feminine wail. I was worried immediately and followed the sound to a bedroom. It was Alice. Mark and Michella followed me.

"I'm sorry. She must've had a nightmare. A fairy tale usually helps," Michelle explained. "I'm really sorry if she woke you up."

I smiled warmly. "It's fine. I can take care of it if you want."

"No, it's fine, dear," Michelle replied.

"Really, it's fine. I'll tell her a story. She'll be asleep soon."

Michelle and Mark smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

They both returned to their bedroom and I reluctantly entered Alice's room. I didn't know how I would handle this. I was worried for her, though. She was my mate. I wanted to protect her from anything and everything. Whether it was from bad dreams or if it was from attackers.

"Dimitri?" she asked in a small voice, her eyes big and full of tears.

I felt helpless. "Are you okay, Alice?"

"I had a bad dream."

"Your mama and papa are tired so they're still sleeping but is there a way I can help you?"

"A story?" she requested reluctantly.

I smiled gently. "A story it is, then. Once upon a time there was a prince. He was happy, but he was in need of a princess to share his life with. He wanted someone he could tell everything to. But one day, a group of bad men attacked his castle. There was a warlock among them that turned him into a wolf. The spell would not be reversed until he found someone to fall in love with."

"Did he find one?" Alice piped up.

"Shh… I'm getting there," I whispered. "One day a princess got lost in the woods. Her name was Alice, and she had these big blue eyes that anyone could get lost in. Alice was afraid of wolves. She started crying when the prince, who was still a wolf, approached her. He was saddened by her started nuzzling her and let her pet him to comfort her. She told him that she would do anything in return when he helped her find her way back to her home and she kissed him on his nose. He turned back into a human and thanked her, telling her that he loved her and would do anything for her to make her happy. Her happiness made him happy. He asked her to marry him and they lived happily ever after."

"Dimitri, are you a prince?" Alice asked.

I laughed. I was a prince. But I was a prince of demons. A prince of vampires. I would never be her prince. I would never be her knight in shining armor. I stroked her hair gently. I should have listened to papa. Every girl is a princess and the only one that would be good enough for them would be their prince in shining armor. But I could never be that for her when she was older. She would be in danger if she was to be with me.

"No, Alice. I'm not a prince."

"Momma said that some day I'll have a prince of my own and he'll love me more than anything. Does that ever happen?"

Oh, any guy would kill for her in the future. "Yes, Alice," I said softly. "You'll have a prince of your own some day. And he'll make you very happy, I'm sure of it."

"Will you be my prince?"

I laughed. "I'm sure there will be a very lucky man in the future. Are you okay to sleep now?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Dimitri."

"You're welcome. Good night, Alice."

"Can you stay?" she asked suddenly.

"No, I'm sorry. I need some sleep and I have to get back to my room. But I'll be in my room if you need anything. Good night."

"Good night."


	3. Chapter 3

I gently closed Alice's door and exited her room. I laid on my bed, unable to sleep. It was probably a mistake staying with this family. I was a danger to their daughter. It wasn't like I could control it, though. Vampires don't choose their mates. Soul mates were born to be with each other. They were destined to be together. I didn't have romantic feelings for this child. I just felt the need to protect her from anything and everything that would ever harm her.

I couldn't fall asleep until at least three o'clock in the morning that night. I felt filthy. I felt like a disgusting pedophile. I didn't want to wait ten years for a little girl. I wanted someone who was just my age. My parents weren't even here any longer to explain this to me. I knew very little about the concept of romance. I didn't know how to hold a woman in my arms. I didn't know how to kiss a woman and tell her that she was the most beautiful being in the world. More or less, I didn't know how to protect a little girl from the monsters under her bed.

The monster was me. I drank blood. Thank God it was animal blood, but that did not matter. Whether it was human or animal blood, I was still a blood-sucking monster. I was no better than a leech or a mosquito. My kind was not meant to exist. There were not many of us. If there were, then we would surely destroy humanity itself. We could always convert humans to vampires, though.  
I dreamed of having a wonderful mate, though. I dreamed of being able to come home every night to see my mate greeting me with a kiss. The mating ceremony included vows and an exhange of blood. I always thought of drinking a soul mate's blood to be very intimate. It would be like knowing every single inch of her body. But how could I ever do that to an eight-year-old girl? She was so tiny and young. How could I ever do such a thing to an innocent?

My older brother, Yuri, was lucky. His soul mate was a sweet woman named Eliza. She was twenty-three, whereas he was twenty-five. They only had a two-year age difference between them. Eliza and Yuri knew each other so intimately. They loved each other so much.

What would I say to Alice when she was eighteen. "Oh, I'm a vampire prince, you're my soul mate, and I been attached to you like this since you were eight years old?" No freaking way. She would have every right to call the police and have me arrested for pedophilea. How would I do this? How would her parents react? They would freak out at me.

The father would definitely want to kill me. I would let him, too. I could tell they were both protective of their daughter. Their only son was in the military fighting in Afghanistan, and she was the only child they had left with them to raise. I sighed, deciding to forget about the matter for a while, and fell asleep.

I awoke to something shaking me. Startled, I yelled out in surprise and opened my eyes. Alice was shaking my shoulders, her blue eyes wide with excitement.

"What are you doing?" I demanded.

She flinched at the harsh sound of my voice. I softened when I realized that I hurt her feelings. I had no intention of doing so, I was just so tired from the lack of sleep I got last evening.

"Momma said to wake you up for breakfast," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

I gently stroked her hair to soothe her. "I'm sorry. I didn't get any sleep last night. I'm sorry I frightened you. You just startled me by waking me up like that, Alice. Please be more gentle next time."

"Sorry, Dimitri."

She didn't have to apologize to me for anything. I had no right to reprimand her like that. I felt awful. I hated to see her cringe in fright like that. I hated to be the one that caused that. I made her unhappy. All I wanted at that moment was to make her happy and protect her from anything unpleasant.

"Come," I said softly. "I'm sure your mama's pancakes are very delicious. You would not want to miss it for the world."

It is not that I can't consume human food. I can, and it doesn't threaten my health in any way. It's just that human food does not satisfy me at all. Blood is much more satisfying, and I definitely prefer it to human food. I could smell the pancakes that Michelle made. She must be a very good cook.

"How do you know it's pancakes?" Alice asked in her high, child-like voice.

"I can smell it from here," I chuckled. I could also smell the lavender scent on her. She must have showered very recently. Sweet, sweet lavender…. What am I thinking?

Alice was graceful for a little child of her age and size. A lot of the children her age were irresponsible and broke things and disturbed peace wherever they went. But Alice was silent and graceful all the while with every step that she would take. I entered the kitchen with a smile to see Michelle and Mark sitting at the kitchen table, silently eating their breakfast and drinking their coffee.

I thought coffee was utterly repulsive. It smelled horrible to me and tasted bitter and disgusting. I tried putting honey and sweet and low in it, but that didn't work. It made me feel sick to my stomach.

"Good morning," I greeted both of them.

Michelle looked up and smiled. "Good morning. I see that Alice woke you up."

"Momma, why did you send me up if he was going to get angry?" Alice asked.

"What happened?" Mark demanded. I could see that he was angry and felt protective of his daughter. He clearly didn't like the image of me yelling at and reprimanding his only daughter, who was also his youngest.

"I'm sorry. She startled me. I hardly got any sleep last night, sir. Alice gave me a bit of a fright when she was shaking my shoulders. It caught me by surprise."

"No, we're sorry," Michelle said suddenly. She shot a look at Mark and a stern look at Alice. "Alice, be more gentle. Dimitri just got here."

I nodded briefly and sat at the kitchen table with them after taking a plate of pancakes. I also had a cup of chocolate milk.

"Dimitri, do you want any coffee?" Mark asked.

"No, thanks. I don't drink coffee. I don't enjoy it that much, sir."

He muttered something darkly that even us vampires could not hear. Listening to their conversations, I learned that Mark was a doctor and that Michelle was an elementary school teacher. I also learned that Alice took the bus in the mornings to school since neither parent had the time to drive her there. The school Michelle taught at was in the opposite direction of the school Alice attended. The school was too out of the way for Mark to drive her. He needed to be at the hospital by seven o'clock in the morning, anyway.

I did not like that Alice took the bus. Anything could happen. People could hurt her on the bus. Kids could hurt her. The bus could crash. Maybe I could drive her?  
"I could drive her," I offered. "The school is on the way to the university I attend."

"You'd do that?" Michelle asked in surprise. "Thanks so much!"

I smiled. "Sure."

"Tell us about your family," Mark requested.

"My brother, Yuri, and his wife, Eliza, live in Ohio. She is heavy with child, and she will be due in two months. I don't know the gender of their child. My brother is a businessman."

"Oh? What about your parents?" Michelle asked.

"My parents were killed last week," I said curtly.

What a lie. They were killed just yesterday. There would be no funeral for them. The only way to kill a vampire would be to set it on fire or decapitate it. The attackers likely set them both on fire. I cringed at the though. Their ashes would probably be found by Yuri. He would probably put them in urns or scatter them. I would find out when he called me on my cell phone.

"I'm so sorry! You must be so upset!" Michelle said worriedly. "You poor boy."

"I'm sorry," Mark said quietly, an apologetic expression on his face.

"What happened?" Alice asked curiously. She wasn't paying attention. I'd rather she didn't- she didn't need to hear about my poor parents being slaughtered.

"My parents are gone," I said softly."They died."

"I'm sorry, Dimitri." Alice wrapped her tiny arms around me. It was amazing as to how comforting this small gesture felt. This pleased me.


	4. Chapter 4

**The pictures that go along with the characters to this story are on my profile. Enjoy, and please review!  
-**

If something like a hug from Alice pleased me, then it would defintely be a living hell when she was in her teenage years. I planned on staying here until I had enough money to buy a house. The castle was obviously not safe enough to return to. I would have to wait a while. I would have to get a job after college. I had enough money to last me a couple of years… Since I was of the royal family, I wouldn't have to worry about money issues for quite a long time.

"Stay as long as you like," Michelle said soothingly, as if she read my mind.

"Thank you… But that might be a while."

"How long?" Mark laughed.

"Well… I need to finish the next three college years, and I'll need a well-paying job for at least two years or so."

"So we're looking at five years?" Michelle asked.

"Yes. I'm sorry."

"Oh, don't worry. We'll lower the price for you."

"No, you don't have to do that!" I protested immediately. I didn't want them pitying me.

"You're only nineteen, Dimitri. You're not going to be able to pay one hundred dollars per month," Mark said gently. "We'll lower it to fifty dollars."

"You would do that? Thank you so much," I said quietly. I really was grateful for this.

"Alice needs a brotherly figure in the house for her anyway while Gerard is in the service," Michelle said.

"I'd be more than happy to be that kind of figure in her life."

I would be. It wouldn't be the end of the world for me if Alice rejected me when she was older. Well, actually it would be. But right now her happiness mattered most. I would not wish the depression I was feeling in the last two days on anyone else. The depression was caused, of course, by my parents' deaths. My children would not live to meet their paternal grandparents. I would not know how to rule a kingdom. My father would not be alive to teach me how to follow in his footsteps.

The summer went by quickly. School had started. I started earlier than Alice. My classes were not very tough on me. I studied hard. It was my second week of school when Alice would start third grade. I would walk her to her classroom. Perhaps it would be nice to meet the person who would be teaching her this year. Her parents had already left this morning, so I had to wake her up. I went upstairs and into her bedroom. This was the first time I had every seen her sleeping face. She looked like an angel.

"Alice," I spoke softly. "Wake up. It's time for school."

She didn't say anything so I gently prodded her shoulder with my hands. Her beautiful eyes fluttered open. She looked fully rested. I wish I could feel that way sometimes. I was exhausted lately by doing papers the professors at the university assigned me. Over the summer, I had formed a close sibling-like bond with her.

"Dimitri, go away," she complained.

"Get up, sugar," I laughed.

I picked her up out of her bed and carried her to the bathroom. I brushed her hair and handed her the toothbrush. Her bed hair looked adorable.  
"Brush your teeth and get dressed, little lady. I'll make you breakfast while you do so," I told her.  
I left her there and started cooking her favorite breakfast: a cheese omelet with chocolate milk. The eggs smelled absolutely repulsive, but if this was all for her, then I did not mind a single bit. The omelet was finished and all ready for her by the time she entered the kitchen.

"Eat it," I ordered gently.

"Why aren't you eating?"

"I already ate my breakfast before I woke you up," I lied. I just didn't want any human food to eat.

It was pretty much quiet for the next few moments. The silence pained me. I wished to hear her voice. I took her to my car. It was too bad that she was only eight. I wanted her here, up in the front with me. Instead, she had to stay in the backseat.

"Are you excited for the new school year?" I asked quietly. What a ridiculous question to ask her. No child would be excited to go back to school.

"No," she answered timidly.

"Why not?"

"I don't like school. I hate homework."

"It's helpful, though," I said gently. "It will make you a brilliant young woman when you are older."

She made a sound sounding like a whine and I laughed when we got to the school. We both got out of my car.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Walking you to your classroom," I answered.

"I don't need that."

"Alice," I said sternly. "Someone could easily abduct you. I'm not going to let that happen. Come with me."

Her room was 3-9, so I walked her there. The teacher was an elderly woman who was probably in her mid to late sixties. She seemed kind.

"Hello," she greeted. "I'm Mrs. Lowe. Who is this?"

"This is Alice."

"And you are her brother? You're certainly too young to be her father," she laughed.

"Ah, my name is Dimitri Abramovitch. Well, I'm actually not related to her. I'm residing with the family until I finish my years in college. I'm just taking her to school in the mornings since her parents both need to go to work early in the mornings. We all feel too protective of her to let her take the buses."

"I could've taken the bus," Alice argued softly.

"Nope," I popped the "p" in the single word. "Anyway, I will pick her up in the afternoon. Take good care of her."

"I will," Mrs. Lowe obliged. "It was nice to meet you."

"It was nice to meet you too."

I left Alice to her classroom. I didn't want to do so. I wanted to make sure that she was being taught well. Either way, as long as she was happy, then I was happy. The classes today were painfully long. I did get decent grades on my college papers, but I was so bored the entire day.

I was excited when the time came for me to pick Alice up from school. At least there was one thing I was interested in doing. I wanted to hear what her day was like; if she made any friends, or if anybody was unkind to her. The commute to her school felt like it took forever for me to get there. She was waiting for me on the courtyard, all smiles.

"Hello," I said softly when she got into the car. "How was your day?"

"I hate school," she said quietly.

"Why is that?" I asked her, my voice showing obvious concern. I wanted her happy. "Is someone playing cruel jokes on you?"

"N-no."

When Alice lied it was obvious. Someone was picking on her. I hated it when she was unhappy. She stuttered quite a bit when she was lying. I also hated that she felt it was necessary to lie to _me_.

"Do not lie to me, Alice."

"You're not my parent, Dimitri, so why do I have to tell you?"

"I'm responsible for you until the moment your parents are home from work. Do not lie to me. Now answer my question. _Is someone bullying you?_"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry to all of you if it seems as if I've been wiped off the face of the earth or something. I've been in Florida for the past week with my family and our refrigerator broke while we were gone. It started blowing out hot air instead of cold air because of a power outage. So I stayed at my dad's house for 3 days because all of our food melted and there was nothing to eat. I don't have microsoft word at the computer over there so I couldn't update any sooner. Sorry, everyone! I hope you enjoy!**

"_I'm responsible for you until the moment your parents are home from work. Do not lie to me. Now answer my question_. _Is someone bullying you?_"

"Don't tell momma and dad," she whispered.

I'd hate to lie back to her, but it had to be done. I saw a huge bruise on her shoulder, since she was wearing short sleeves today. It angered me on so many levels I could not understand myself. Why did I feel so protective of a small eight-year-old girl?

"Fine. Now tell me, is bullying you?"

"A-a boy named Christopher," she whispered.

A boy! "Is he the one who gave you that bruise?"

"Yes…. Why are you angry, Dimitri?"

"No one should hurt you! Didn't you tell the teacher?"

"No, 'cause I didn't want to be a tattle-tale."

I would have laughed. "That's silly, Alice. You don't _ever_ let someone hurt you again, do you understand?"

"F-f-fine."

"You don't let anyone touch you if you don't want it, okay? If anyone ever makes you feel uncomfortable, then come to either me, your parents, or a teacher. Whichever adult you feel that you can trust. No one deserves that kind of treatment."

It's been a few days. Apparently Alice did tell Mrs. Lowe. She didn't come home with anymore bruises.

"You told your teacher?" I asked in the car. "Good."

"No. I asked him why he didn't like me and he said he did like me and that he wanted to be friends. He asked me if I wanted to go to his house sometime."

I was infuriated. Alice couldn't go to a boy's house… It wasn't appropriate, but I guess I really didn't have a say in it. It was her parents' opinions that mattered. They'd probably say yes, though, to make their daughter happy. And surprise, surprise, they actually did.

It's been a couple of months now, and it was winter. I learned that the boy's name was Jeremy. He and Alice were best friends now and he came to the house often. If it made her happy, then I guess I would put up with it. But the friendship could grow into something more when she was older. I'd hate that. But if she'd be happy…. Maybe if she would be happy then that would make myself happy. It made my heart skip a beat when she smiled. Alice and I were close now. She looked up to me as a brotherly figure, I guess.  
I sitting on the porch one evening. Alice was outside in the backyard, playing on the swingset. I was watching her from the porch. Her parents were in the living room watching a movie. I went inside to get some tea. That was pretty much the only thing I could tolerate that humans made. I heard a loud growl from outside. I left the kitchen quickly and ran towards Alice. A pack of wolves were advancing towards her, growling at her. I transformed into a wolf, the sensation making me feel absolutely wonderful.

'_Don't_,' I growled.

Their alpha glared at me. '_Step away from our prey!_' he hissed.

'_Feed on somebody other than my mate,_'I spat. '_Leave this place and never come back before I destroy you and your entire pack_.'

The alpha growled. '_We did not come here for a fight. My pack is hungry. We lost our pups due to hunters. But we will leave this time, unnatural one. We can't take another fight_.'

He, his mate, and his pack retreated angrily. I could see his point. They were all skin and bones. They were a small pack. I felt bad about keeping them away from the chance of getting food, but this was Alice. My mate. I needed to protect her. I knew that she saw this. She saw me, transforming into a wolf. Now I was in my natural state.

"Dimitri?" she whispered. "Why did you turn into a wolf?"

I sighed. "I'll explain later."

Her parents suddenly rushed outside on the porch. "What happened?" Mark demanded worriedly.

"Why did you suddenly become a wolf?" Michelle asked.

"First promise me you won't go crazy and I promise you I am not a danger to anyone in this household."

"Fine."

"I'm a vampire," I admitted. I revealed my fangs to prove it to them. "But I survive off of animal blood. The thought of killing or changing a human into what I am simply repulses me. You're all safe around me. What you just saw… Every vampire is born with a gift to change into one animal. My parents picked a wolf, so that is why you saw me change into a wolf. Alice was about to be attacked by wolves so there was really nothing much I could do. I didn't want to hurt them unless they wouldn't go without a fight. But they went peacefully after I told their leader to leave."

"Is this true, Alice?" Mark asked quietly.

"Yes, daddy."  
Michelle sighed. "Stay as long as you want. I'm not too fond of having someone who drinks blood in my house, I'll admit. But you saved our daughter's life and you've been like a son to me and Mark while Gerard is away. Stay as long as you'd like- free of charge."

"N-no, I couldn't do that," I stammered.

"Just stay and don't pay," Mark said simply, smiling. "Come on, it really isn't a problem. It's not like we need the money that much. We both have well-paying jobs."

"Fine," I sighed. "But if I really can stay as long as I need, it might not be until I'm out of medical school and I have a job for at least a year. So that would be six years from now."


End file.
